Updated clinical management guidance during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Thyroid nodules and cancer

Eur J Endocrinol. 2022 Jan 1:EJE-21-0716.R2. doi: 10.1530/EJE-21-0716. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Health care settings, including nuclear medicine (NM) departments promptly adjusted their standard operating procedures to cope with the unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Nuclear thyroidology has adopted changes, predicated on a careful risk-benefit analysis, in order to prevent a potential spread of the virus while being at the same time effective, safe and preserving their quality of essential services. Since most thyroid nodules are benign, and malignant neoplasms are characterized by an indolent natural history, it is generally safe to delay diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In this respect, the main adjustments that nuclear thyroidology has adopted are summarized into the following: general workplace adjustments including remote work for NM staff; postponing appointments for consultation, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and rescheduling based on individualized risk stratification; telemedicine; preparation for possible issues on radiopharmaceuticals synthesis and delivery; preventing measures and protocols to minimize or avoid potential COVID-19 infection of patients and medical staff. This document should be considered as an updated guidance on how clinical management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer has been altered, remodelled, and adapted to the new circumstances in the COVID-19 era, based on the rapidly growing volume of scientific information regarding the new coronavirus.

PMID:35073277 | DOI:10.1530/EJE-21-0716